Golfer&#39;s aid including ball marker, plumb, and turf repair tool



March 14, 1967 R. V. DOYLE 3,309,089

GOLFER'S AID INCLUDING BALL MARKER, PLUMB, AND TURF REPAIR TOOL Filed Nov. 6, 1964 f/GQQ United States Patent 3,309,689 GOLFERS AID INCLUDING BALL MARKER, PLUME, AND TURF REPAIR TODL Robert V. Doyle, 5124 Southwest Ave., Sacramento, Calif. 95824 Filed Nov. 6, 1964i, Ser. No. 409,460 Claims. (Cl. 273-32) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a putting green repair tool and in a golfers putting green aid.

When a golfer, upon reaching the putting green, determines that the green has been scarred .or gouged, he may wish to make repairs to the turf. My invention will assist the golfer in making these repairs. Furthermore, my invention will assist a golfer in marking his ball during a play or in determining the contour of a green to help him in playing his putt.

Accordingly, the objects of my invention are as follows:

First, I have provided a repair tool whereby torn or scattered turf may be lifted back into position and the scarred marks on the putting green thereby repaired. As a matter of courtesy when a golfer has scarred the putting turf, he should repair the same so that the green is in an unscarred state for the next golfers. However, when the preceding golfers have failed in this respect, a golfer will want to repair the putting turf himself so that he may putt accurately.

A second object of my invention is to provide a golfer with a marking aid for marking the position of his ball during play. Accompanying this feature of therinvention, I also furnish a yreceptacle for carrying or housing the ball marker.

A third object of my invention is to furnish the go-lfer with a weight and plumb line for understanding the contour and slopes of the putting green which is allowable in practice and nontournament play.

These objects will be more completely understood from the following ldetailed description taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a back elevational view of the invention with the nylon plumb line extended and the putters aid dangling therefrom;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the invention;

FIG-URE 3 is a side elevational view of the invention showing the slot for guiding the knurled knob attached to the steel point of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a back elevational view of the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of the invention showing the steel point knurled knob in eXtruding position and the steel point extruded;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6 6 .of FIGURE 3 and showing the plumb line and steel point secured within the accessory housing, the cover of said housing being removed, and showing the plumb line knurled knob removed from its screw receptacle in said housing;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 77 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 8 is a front elevational view of the ball marker; and,

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational view of a ball bearing assembly for aiding in extruding the steel point of this invention.

The invention will be better understood by referring to the following detailed description in connection with the drawings.

When a golfer upon reaching a putting green finds the turf scarred or torn, he may use the steel point of my invention to replace turf and smooth the green. To use the steel point 1, the steelpoint knurled knob 2 is lifted away from the guide slot 3 and then is forced down along 3,309,089 Patented Mar. 1,4, 1967 guide slot 3 to the position shown in FIG. 5, whereby the steel point 1 is forced through an opening 4 in the golfers accessory case 10 to its extruded position. Then the golfer may pick up the turf by jabbing into it with the steel point. Hereafter the turf may be placed in pitted areas of the green .and by jabbing around the pit marks the sod will become aerated so that with pressure from the hand or shoe pressing the replaced turf the golfer may make the green .once again smooth, according to the United States Golf Assooiations Rules of Golf, as delineated in Section III, Rule 35o. Knurled knob 2 is connected to a bearing 25, see FIG. 9, which is adapted to rest in a groove 26 when the steel point is in retracted position, see FIG. 6. The bearing 25 allows a smooth operation when extruding the steel point since the bearing will easily run along the bottom of the steel point housing or guideway 5.

The putting aid 10 comprises a round metal case not unlike a pocket watch case. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the case is one and one-half inches in diameter, and one-quarter of an inch in thickness and is machined to a smooth finish. Thus the putters aid can readily be carried in a pocket or wearing apparel. The putters aid has a recessed portion 11 therein approximately three-quarters of an inch in diameter. A magnetic marker 12 adapted to lit smoothly within this recessed portion so that it cannot easily be jarred loose v from the aid as it is carried by the case of the golfers aid. Since the case itself is of a magnetic material, the magnetic attraction between the case and marker will aid in retaining the marker snugly against the case. The marker resembles athin coin such as a dime in appearance, al- -though it is thinner and is smoother on the faces thereof. To mark a ball during play, e.g., while other players putt as allowed in Sec. III, Rule 357-l, U.S. Golfers Rules of Golf, the magnetic marker 12 is forced from the recess 11 by picking at it with a thin hard object such as the thumb nail. Then the marker is simply placed behind the ball position.

To determine the contour of the putting green this invention may be used as a plumb bob. In this operation the plumb line knurled knob 20 is unscrewed from its screw threads 21 and by lpulling on the knurled knob 20 the nylon plumb line 22 is unwound from the winding drum 23 which is similar to a watch spring type of assembly until the case dangles therefrom, as is illustrated in FIG. l. The weight .of the case, together with its component parts, is suicient to keep the nylon cord unwound. Thus it is seen that I have provided an efficient and easy to operate plumb bob like apparatus which can be used to view the various slopes and contours of a putting green. This apparatus is extremely helpful in practice play to readily familiarize a golfer with the hills and slopes .of a putting green.

The golfers aid comprises two conforming sections which are held together by three screws such as 24, FIG. l. The golfers aid of this invention is compact with only the steel point knurled knob and the plumb line knurled knob protruding therefrom, so that the golfers aid may be carried in apparel without snagging or piercing the apparel.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, other variations hereof will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, e.g., the steel point may be merely removed from the carrying case by pulling the steel point from the case rather than extruding it as I have shown and described. Accordingly, I do not wish to be limited to the precise details described herein but want to protect my invention Within the scope and spirit thereof as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A golfers accessory comprising in combination, a circular hollow case having-opposed faces and an annular wall, a recess on one face of said case, a flat marker removably secured in said recess, a spring biased winding drum in said case, a nylon line Wound on said drum, said annular wall having a first opening through whichr one .end of said line extends, a first knob `on said one end of said line normally seating in said opening, said case having a peripheral slot in one edge thereof, a resilient elongated normally straight member adapted to be coiled interiorly of said annular wall, a stud on one end `of said member extending through said slot, a second knob on said stud, a second opening in .said annular wall adjacent the other end of said member through which said other end of said member is extended upon movement of said second knob, and hence said stud in` said slot, a point on said :other endoi said elongated member, and guide means in said casingrfor directing said point through said second opening to the exterior of said case when extended. Y

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said casing is metal and said marker is magnetized, magnetic attraction serving as means wherebysaid marker is removably secured in said recess.

3. The structure ofclaim 1 ywherein said rst opening is internally threaded and said rst knob hasan externally threaded shank engaging in said rst opening for .releasably retaining saidy first knob in said rst opening.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein an annular tracky is positioned in said casing between said drum and .said

annular Wall and kserves as said guide means for ,saidy `resilient member.

References yCited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,136,072 11/1938v Bush 33-217' X4 6/1964 Schaper 273-32 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

G. I. MARLO, Assistant Examiner.r 

1. A GOLFER''S ACCESSORY COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A CIRCULAR HOLLOW CASE HAVING OPPOSED FACES AND AN ANNULAR WALL, A RECESS ON ONE FACE OF SAID CASE, A FLAT MARKER REMOVABLY SECURED IN SAID RECESS, A SPRING BIASED WINDING DRUM IN SAID CASE, A NYLON LINE WOUND ON SAID DRUM, SAID ANNULAR WALL HAVING A FIRST OPENING THROUGH WHICH ONE END OF SAID LINE EXTENDS, A FIRST KNOB ON SAID ONE END OF SAID LINE NORMALLY SEATING IN SAID OPENING, SAID CASE HAVING A PERIPHERAL SLOT IN ONE EDGE THEREOF, A RESILIENT ELONGATED NORMALLY STRAIGHT MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE COILED INTERIORLY OF SAID ANNULAR WALL, A STUD ON ONE END OF SAID MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT, A SECOND KNOB ON SAID STUD, A SECOND OPENING IN SAID ANNULAR WALL ADJACENT THE OTHER END OF SAID MEMBER THROUGH WHICH SAID OTHER END OF SAID MEMBER IS EXTENDED UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND KNOB, AND HENCE SAID STUD IN SAID SLOT, A POINT ON SAID OTHER END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, AND GUIDE MEANS IN SAID CASING FOR DIRECTING SAID POINT THROUGH SAID SECOND OPENING TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CASE WHEN EXTENDED. 